Triangles
by lady knight Ardia
Summary: There's a love triangle on the horizon for Lady Knight Keladry...how vicious can it get?
1. Chapter 1

-1He paced. He couldn't sit down. He had to get away from Kennan, away from the looks of pity, the constant nagging from his mother about finding a new wife. "Meet this girl, that girl…" His wife only a month in her grave. His daughter constantly asking where her mother was, when was she coming back?

"Go talk to your grandmother," he snapped at her and walked out the door. His daughter stood there with her mouth hanging open. Her father NEVER yelled at her…

Cleon of Kennan made his way down to the stables. He needed to leave, get away, let his mother and sister handle Rosary. He just wanted to get posted on the border somewhere, and chop down as many enemies as he could. Not sit around grieving for a woman he had loved, though maybe not as much as he should have…

"Argh! I can't believe this!" the knight yelled, standing up from her desk, her chair falling back. She threw the letter she had been reading over on the floor and stormed out the door. She couldn't wait to tell Merric, he was going to be ropable. And unlike the King, SHE would have to deal with the drama.

Merric saw her coming, the look on her face and knew exactly what she was going to say. They'd said "no". She stood there and looked at him. He raised his eyebrows. She twisted her lips. Merric turned around and stabbed a arrow into the wood. The guards looking on knew what she was saying as well. They looked at Merric and he nodded, and they went off to ready their mounts. He was going on a hunting trip.It wasn't that they needed food, though with the Crown still sending people in left right and centre he wouldn't be surprised.

Kel sighed and walked back to her office. She knew she had obviously been working with Merric to long when all they needed to communicate with each other was facial expressions…

"All due respect, My Lord, but I need to get away from home. I need to be out there, doing something, not sitting at home, mopping about, listening to people apologize for something they didn't do," Cleon told Lord Wyldon.

"Would you work in a refugee camp?" Wyldon asked Cleon. Cleon thought it over for a moment. He would rather be on border duty…but then again, work was work…

"Anything, I just need to do something."

"New Hope, a camp just behind the border is requiring more knights, as the load has become to much for the three there. It is in the process of becoming a fief, with their commander taking charge. They need help both defending and building. It will keep you busy, Owen of Jesslaw is going there in a few days with a squad of the king's Own headed by Lord Raoul. You may go with them then, and take a letter with you. I trust you canwork under the commands of a woman?" Wyldon asked, raising his eyebrows.

"A woman, Sir?" Cleon asked, his heart's beat slowly going faster, and faster

"Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan is in command, and beggin for people at the moment. It takes a lot to turn a fort town into a normal village…" he said, starting a letter to her that he knew she, Neal and Merric would rejoice in. "They are also taking supplies for Nealan of Queenscove, their Healer, as it appears he has some young ones he wishes to train…" he told the night in front of him. "Your daughter will more than likely be welcomed to go along with you. From what I have experienced with Keladry she is extremely protective of the children there now, and you daughter would be taught to fight if needed, though I would rather discourage that. We have more than enough female pages, running circles around their poor training master…" he sighed, thinking of the letter he had received in regards to how to dicipline the girl pages. He had said the same way as the boys. But the training master declined that idea as they were still young ladies. Wyldon shook his head. That was the only problem with having a conservative as Training Master…

Everyone looked towards the commanders office as a squeal emmited from it. The door flew open and Lady Kel, as she was known, came racing up to Merric and threw her arms around his neck. "They're sending help!" she yelled in his face. "We are getting Owen and Cleon to help with most of the warrior things, Neal is getting his supplies to teach, and they are sending a couple of squads to help with the building, isn't that great?" she asked. Merric was smiling. 'About time too,' he thought.

"All right lads and ladies, it's time to start chopping!" he yelled to everyone. "We start building tonight!" he called and a cheer went up from everyone…

Cleon and Owen rode at the front chatting away and catching up. For the first time Cleon heard the true story of what had happened that first year of Kel's, Neal and Merric's knighthood. Like most people no-one really knew what had stopped the killing devices. It was a well-kept secret, though there had been rumors going about that they had a powerful mage on their side, who was working closely with Numair. But no one could confirm, or deny the reports. Only people very close to the Crown and the Mindelan family knew the truth. And no one was going to say anything for fear that the conservatives would use it against her. As New Hope came into view they saw large banners hanging on the walls with childish taunting jokes, directed at the Scanran's no doubt, in childish writing. And a large banner saying "Welcome, new slaves" with a big smile face next to it. The men of the own smiled and chuckled and Owen laughed. Cleon was to busy trying to hold down his lunch from that day, due to his nervousness about seeing Kel and Neal and Merric. He hadn't seen either in six years and was slightly worried that they wouldn't receive him too well. He was, after all, the outsider of them. Owen had a family, it was true, but Merric didn't and Kel didn't and he understood Neal's lived there, while he was in residence. He did manage a small smile when he saw the New Hope banner. Lot's of little hands encircling a griffin in with a mixture of Queenscove, Hollyrose and Mindelan colors on a bright yellow background. And looking at it flapping in the wind he did admit to feeling hopeful…


	2. Chapter 2

Please Note: I am sorry I can't separate the POV. I have windows vista and am still trying to figure out the word processor and stuff…I hate it…onto the story

To Evilstrawberry: I knooooow! I'm Kel/Dom'ed and Kel/Neal'ed out!)

As they rode through the gates they saw people waiting all lined up, and Kel holding a toddler. Tobe was standing beside her on one side, Merric on the other. They couldn't see Neal though. Dom slid off his horse and walked over to Kel and hugged her. Cleon's brows knitted together for a moment. Then heard "where's the meathead?"

He looked over at Owen who was walking towards Kel, and watched him hug her as well. He stayed on his horse, watching the welcomes between them, feeling out of place. It had been so long since he had been amongst them.

"Would you like me to take your horse, Sir?" a voice asked. He looked down into the face of a young boy.

"Yes, thankyou," he said, hopping off his horse. He looked over to the horse his daughter had been riding on. He could see she was trying not to scrunch up her face. She was obviously disgusted by the place. Cleon sighed. Maybe he should have spent more time at home. But there was a war going on. He had a duty that came before family…

He reached up to her and she fell into his arms. He dropped her on her feet on the ground and walked over to Kel and Merric. They both smiled, and Merric held out his hand.

"It's been a long time, Kennan," he said shaking his hand.

"Too long," Cleon replied.

"So how's married life been treating you - ow!" Kel yelled as the toddler she was holding pulled her hair.

"It's been good," he replied. Kel and Merric didn't see the sorrow and regret flash through his eyes.

"So, how is your wife?" Merric asked, watching Kel walk away.

"Milady mother!" a young girl was calling out as she walked off.

"Fine. I decided to spend more time with my daughter, and Wyldon assured me she would be very safe here," he half-lied.

"Well, welcome to New Hope," Merric said. "I'll show you where you and your daughter are to stay," he said, gesturing for him and his daughter to follow him. Cleon picked his daughter up, knowing she wouldn't want to walk over any mud…

Cleon walked into the Commanders office, to see Neal, Merric, Owen, and Raoul sitting there, with Kel behind a big desk.

"Thankyou for taking the time to come and help us, Cleon. Sorry I couldn't show you around earlier. I had to find Fanche," she said looking down at some papers. Neal got up and shook Cleon's hand, then sat back down. He handed the letter he had been given to Kel, then took a seat.

"We have rosters, here," she said looking up. "The children learn fighting and defence skills in the morning, you daughter is welcome to join them,"

Cleon held back a snort. His wife had discouraged any sort of fighting.

"You will start Night Watch in a few days, if that is okay. That should give you time to get to know the others around here, and get yourself and your daughter settled," she said. "The new convicts are out with the scouts chopping wood, if you could add some of your men to them?" she said pledingly to Raoul.

"Anything you need from them, Kel. They're at your disposal," he replied smiling.

"Thankyou. Here is a design that I have come up with for the layout, if you could go over it with me to…" Cleon blocked her out. He was looking at a roster she had pushed towards him. He was shocked to see that he would also be required to work on the surrounding farms and clean latrines. He looked up at her as she finished speaking to Raoul.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked him.

"No, I was just surprised by some of the duties on the roster…" he blushed when she half-smiled, half-smirked at him.

"Everyone does their fair share here. Only I seem to be exempt from any form of carpentry," she sighed.

"That's because we want our workers to live, and you to keep your fingers," Raoul said smiling. Kel stuck her tongue out at him.

"That's enough from you, your on my turf now," she joked. "If you have any problems go to Merric. Neal, they have your supplies and it seems Numair and Alanna have sent some scrolls along. And a letter of teaching advice," she said, handing him two large envelopes. "I think that should be all. I'm starving, so I will be in the mess hall stuffing my face. See you boys later," she said, getting up and walking out. Everyone followed her out. Cleon walked out last and looked around him. He was living and working alongside ex-convicts and current-convicts, and refugees. Children were running around and trying to get Kel to play games with them. Again he heard them referring to her as "Milady Mother". He was confused by that. Why would they be calling her their mother.

"Because she is the closest some of us have to a mother," a girl's voice broke into his thoughts. "She takes charge of us, dresses us, feeds us, and comforts us. She protects us. She cares about us. We love her, and we know she loves us back," she said walking forward. "It's more than some children can say about their real parents," she said, looking at him. "Are you hungry? I'm going to eat," she told him and walked away. She must have been about 15 or 16. He followed her to the mess hall to find his daughter was already there, sitting with some children looking more than a little disgusted. When she saw him she jumped up and ran to him.

"Oh, father, it's so horrible and smelly here, I want to go home!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms.

"Well, we can't for a while. I have some important things to do here," he told her, smoothing her hair with his hand. She looked up at him and pouted. He sighed, unhappy with what Ermeline had turned their daughter into…a "lady".

Kel stood looking out over the field below. She was so proud of her people. The building was going well, Cleon, Owen and the Own had been a great help. Neal had a love-hate relationship with his teaching. Everything was going well. Three weeks and they had the frame for the "manor", that would double as a home for the refugee children without parents.

"Penny for your thoughts, Lady Knight?" she heard someone whisper in her ear. Her heart thumped, and all her mucsles tensed. She turned to see Domitan of Masbolle smiling at her.

"Mine are a bit more expensive than the ones your used to," she said, politly smiling her Yamani smile. She turned and looked back at the people working. "Shouldn't you be down there, helping them hammer nails and measure wood?"

"I'm on a break," he told her. "Kel, listen, don't you think-"

"Kel, I need you down here for a moment, sorry Dom!" Merric yelled up at them. Kel sent what she hoped looked like an apologetic smile at him and went down to see Merric. Dom watched them walk off together, his eyes narrowing dangerously…


	3. Cleon's Story

(A/N: No. No K/N, sorry)

Winter and spring came and went. Cleon and Rosary had settled in. He had reaquainted himself with Kel, Merric and Neal, though he had noticed a strange tension between Merric and Domitan of Masbolle. He couldn't figure it out but it revolved around Kel. Was she lovers with both of them. He looked over at her and decided no. He got the feeling by the way she reacted to some of the "usless" fights between some men over a woman, that she wouldn't do such a thing herself.

But he did notice the tension go out the gate with the Own as they left at the end of spring. He had noticed that Kel avoided Dom like the plague, even looking to him a couple of times for rescue. She never said what was wrong to him, and if Neal and Owen knew anything they weren't going to let it out. He admitted to himself that he did feel 'out of loop' with them at times. Merric would be constantly teasing him, Owen and Neal about being married, and the other men would join in about the woes of married life. Some of the ex-convicts said they were convinved it was their wives, and the need to get away from them that drove them to do what they did. And deliberately get caught.

Hearing these jokes Cleon would only smile and chuckle at the real funny ones, but they hurt. Kel would ask him if he was expecting a letter from Ermileine.

"No, I don't expect one," he would say and walk off, a baffled Kel watching him go. Neal recieved sometimes three letters a day from Yuki, and Owen's wife would visit every now and then. 'Maybe their having marital difficulties' she thought, Then shrugged. They only couples with marital difficukties she had to worry about were the ones in the camp. Cleon and his wife would have to sort it out themselves.

Going to her office she sat down and started reading through reports. She sighed. The Royal Training Master was planning to bring the Pages here for their away-camp. HELLO! A letter from Kennan addressed to her! She looked up and then opened it. Maybe it was Ermileine checking up on Cleon via her...

_Dear Lady Keladry of Mindelan,_

_Doubtless you know of my sons recent loss of his wife,_

Kel looked up, her mouth open a little. Loss...

_I know better than to send him letters, for I know full well he will not respond to them. Please inform him that I require him home soonest, as I have another match that I would like him to meet. I will be sending some Kennan men to keep him company on his way back. If it is at all possible, please keep Rosary up there. This is a good match and I do not wish to have a daughter from his previous marriage hanging around causing problems._

That was all. No thanks for reading or anything. Kel folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. Why had Cleon not told anyone? This could possibly explain hid daughters withdrawness from the other children. Then Kel felt anger stirring. To send a father home without his child? Who did Cleon's mother think she was? He had lost his wife, Roasry her mother, and now Cleon's mother wished to take her father away too? Kel shook her head and brought out writing paper, and readied her quinn.

_Dear Mistress Kennan,_

_I have a Refugee Camp to run, and I refuse to get involved in family disputes that have nothing to do with me and my immediate surroundings. I have neither the time, nor the desire. If you feel the need to write to your son and ask him to abandon his daughter so as to go flouncing off into a new marriage, I leave that up to you. I will have no part of it. Rosary has lost a mother. Why do want her to lose her father also?_

Kel folded the letter and put it beside some reports. She wasn't going to pass on a message like that to a grieving husband and daughter.

She was however, going to go have a talk with said grieving husband...

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Cleon leaned over the edge looking down into the dark night. "Why did you not tell me you had lost your wife?" a voice asked from behind him.

He spun around and saw Kel standing there steadily looking at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I recieved a letter from your mother, addressed to me, asking to send you home _without _your daughter so she could introduce you to your next wife," she told him, stepping forward. "Jeromia said she will take over for you. I think we need to have a talk," she told him sternly. He felt like a little kid who had been caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing. He could see why the people of the camp refeered to her as "Mother". He followed her, as a woman in her thirties smiled compassinately at him and took his place.

They slowly and quietly made their way to the mess hall. It was empty this time of night, which is what Kel wanted. She hoped it would make Cleon more comfortable to talk. He took a seat at a table and Kel looked back at him.

"Stay here," she warned, pointing a finger at him. "I'm going to make some tea, and you had better still be there when I come back," she turned and walked towards the kitchen. Cleon sat for a few minutes trying to think of a way to get out of this. Kel would hate him, and Merric and Neal and Owen would no doubt hear about this, and hate him as well. He had to think of a good lie...

In the kitchen, Kel poured boiled water into a mug then dipped the tip of a griffin feather in to it. Just as a precaution, when talking to people, she had found that doing so made them more...truful. It was very helpful when it came to the new children who would lie about stealing or something. Then she walked back to Cleon who was sitting there, head in hands, no doubt thinking up a lie. Kel could practically smell lies while they were brewing these days. Numair had told her that it seemed as though the magic of the griffin feathers was sinking into her skin, and into her blood and soul. He said he could actually see it happening . . .

She put the mug down in front of cleon. and took a seat across from him, then took a sip. Cleon made no move to drink or talk, but Kel knew it would only be a matter of time, and didn't push him.

"I'm glad I was never able to marry you," he said quietly. Kel's eyebrows shot up. "I couldn't have lived with myself if I had let a wife and best friend down. It's hard enough dealing with letting Emy down..." he stopped and looked up at her. Was she insulted by his first comment? He hadn't meant for it to come out that way. He took a couple of sips, and Kel smiled encouragingly.

_It began two years ago. Emy found out she was pregnant again, and we were both happy about that. Especially Rosary. Four months into the pregnancy I was called away to the Tusaine border. They were having some trouble with raiders. I didn't want to leave. But Emy said I should go, "It's you duty," she'd said. So I went. I remember her saying "There'll be three of us waiting here for you when you get back." So I went. I was there for 6 months. I was expecting to recieve a letter that Emy had had the baby, but I didn't. So I was in a hurry to get home, obviously. But when I got home, I found out that Emy had had a fall and lost the baby. "She's alive, but ill," I was told. I went to see her, and she was in bed, looking all pale and sick. I asked the Healer what was wrong with her._

_"Nothing I can fix. She's heart sick, not body sick," she told me and left the room. Rosary was in the nursery. Thank the Gods she was too young to know what was happening._

_I stayed home for four moths, hoping Emy would recover, but she didn't. She didn't want too, was the Healers excuse. Rosary went in to see her one day, and she came out crying. "Mother doesn't love me," she told me. "Of course she does," I told her. "No! She said she would rather have her baby that died instead of me!" she scremed and ran off to the nursery._

_I cracked. How could she say something so nasty to her daughter? I was so angry I went in and yelled at her. She told me to go find "that Lady Knight" I was so smitten with. At first I was confused. Why would she think I was still in love with you? After four years, and she still hadn't let that go. So I left. I went on assignments, anything, just to avoid going home. 10 months later I went home. Emy was up and about again, but I couldn't forgive her for saying that I didn't love her, or for how she had treated Rose. She ignored Rosary, and pretended she didn't exsist. My mother suggested I take her to my aunts to stay, which I did. But I didn't return home. Emy wasn't Emy anymore. I started to mourn the loss of her then and there. Which is why when 8 months later, I recieved a letter saying she was really ill, I ignored it. Why go see a wife who wasn't my wife anymore? I thought. And she wasn't. In name, yes, but in every other way..._

_I tried to understand, I really did, and a month after the first letter I recieved another letter saying she had passed away. I was guilt-ridden. So she was upset, and angry, I still should have been there for her. But I wasn't. My mother had retrienved Rosary, and taken her home five months before her passing, without even letting me know. So Rosary was there the whole time. Emy never warmed up to Rosary again, but she had come to "tolerate" her. Rosary was a mess when I finally got home. She was confused and frightened, and my mother had told her off, and apparently told her that if she had been more behaved Emy would have loved her more and wouldn't have died. I did the most dishonorable thing when I heard that. I struck my own mother._

Cleon stopped for a moment and looked up at Kel. She was sitting there, looking thoughful, chin in palm, elbow on table.

"That explains Rosary's behaviour," she mumbled. "Poor thing,"

"I felt terrible, Kel. I felt like I had failed both Emy and Rosary, and then to stirke my own mother..."

Kel sighed. "I've seen men do worse, for much less, and I probably would have done the same. I think any parent would have..."

They both sat in silence for a while.

"So what led you to being here?" Kel asked. Cleon sighed again...

_A month after her death my mother started bringin young ladies around again. I knew what she was trying to do, and I was so annoyed. She kept telling me that the convent in the City of the Gods would take Rosary, or I should send her to my aunt's again. I wasn't going to do that. She was messed up enough and I knew that if I sent her off somewhere, she would only believe what my mother had told her. I had lost my wife, Rose had lost her mother, and all mine could think about was getting me married off again._

_The servants would look at me all pityinly, and poor Rosary was sinking into depression. Imagine a five year old depressed. So I went to Lord Wyldon and asked if there was anything I could do. I told him what was going on and he told me to come here. I could bring Rosary with me, and that basically cinched it. So I came. _

"Well, I;m glad you did. We needed all the help we could get," Kel said smiling at him. He realised she was holding his hand. "But you should have said something to Neal, or Merric, or even Owen, Cleon. To keep something like that bottled up..." she shook her head. "And poor Rosary..." Kel removed her hand and slumped back a little in her chair.

"Now it's your turn," Cleon said, leaning forward. "What is happening with you, Dom and Merric?" he asked.

Kel blushed slightly. "Another time, maybe," she said, and left to go wash their cups.

Cleon watched her go. At least she still wanted to be his friend...


	4. Kel's Story

Can you believe it took me half the first chapter to realise it was my story I was reading?!

Anyway, new chapter after . . . Ages . . .

Cleon took the rest of the night off at Kel's insistance. For a long while he stayed awake staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. He got up and peeked into the adjourning room to check on his daughter. She was sleeping soundly. He lit a candle on his desk and sat down staring into it. He heard footsteps and whispering going on outside his rooms. He listened, and was shocked to discover it was Merric and Kel! He held his breath as they passed, and walked off into the night. What were they doing up this late at night? He blew his candle out and went back to bed to try to sleep. Half an hour later he was still awake. So finally he got up and went for a walk. The night air was cold, but the stars were bright, the sky clear. He saw a light was on in the Commanders building, and that Kel was sitting outside, burning some papers. Curious, Cleon started towards her. Kel looked up after hearing him approach and smiled.

"Old love letters," she said, lifting up a pile of envelopes. "And new 'please forgive me' ones," she said, nodding to the papers already burning. "Amazing how you can go from loving someone so much, to dispising them more than you could ever dream."

Cleon looked at the fire.

"So what happened?" Cleon asked. Kel sighed, and walked back into the office. She beckoned him in, and he followed.

"About a year after my Scanra escapade, Dom and I started . . . Seeing each other . . . Which was fine. We carried on for four years, and everything was going well . . ." she stopped and looked out the window for a second. She owed him the truth, especially after spiking his drink with griffin magic. "Before Dom left that third year, he was talking about marriage . . . And I said I'd think about it . . .

Flashback

"_What do you think?" Dom asked her. Kel laid next to him quietly. _

"_This is going to end your career. Men in the Own can't marry, you know that," Kel said, rolling over onto her side._

"_I'll survive," Dom said. Kel could feel his shrug. She frowned. Where had this come from? What was wrong with how things were now? If she got married, she knew children would come first. And she still wasn't ready for that! Besides, she already had children to look after, she didn't need her own . . ._

"_I'll think about it," Kel said. "And I think you should, too," she told him. "Maybe talk it over with Raoul," she said, shutting her eyes tightly. Dom sighed and laid down on his back._

"_Well, you have all summer and autumn to think about it," he said. Kel listened and waited til his breathing was slow and regular. Then she silently got up and walked out side…_

_End_

"I guess I got nervous the more and more I thought of it. It was distracting me. Merric's mother started making demands on him, and we both decided 'Hey, let's take a break from it all,'" she looked down into her hands. "we got drunk with some of the other's on Midwinter . . . And woke up with each other the next day," at this Kel looked up again, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. Cleon didn't know what to say, so said nothing, just nodded.

"Dom showed up that morning, with a squad . . . He saw me sneaking out of Merric's room and got the idea we had . . . You know . . . But we didn't!" she insisted. "We just fell asleep in his rooms. I guess we were pretty drunk cause I was sprawled on the bed and he hadn't quite made it that far," she told Cleon laughing. Cleon laughed too. "He was half on, half hanging off, it was pretty funny . . . However Dom didn't laugh . . . Mind you, in his position I probably wouldn't have been either. Anyway he got this idea in his head that me and Merric were . . . Involved. He was angry, and I got angry and some words were said, and Merric jumped in to defend me, and the next thing I know they're fighting. It took me, Neal and four other guys to separate them. Raoul was furious with Dom, so I had to explain to him, what had happened. It was so humiliating. Here I am always yelling at girls who cause fights and I was the cause of one…" kel shook her head, and looked again out the window.

"Dom took leave that night, and went home. Three weeks later I received a letter from him saying he was going to marry in six weeks time. I wrote a congratulatory letter to him, as you would, and got the most horrible reply back. Neal saw the letter and wrote back to Dom himself, and mentioned parts of it to Merric and Merric got involved. In the end it was just one little ant hill that turned into a volcano," Kel stopped. "Do you want some tea or water?" she asked. Cleon shook his head. Kel got up and made herself a green tea, quietly moving about in the semi darkness. She took her seat again, and took a sip. They sat in silence for a while. Then Cleon asked "what happened next?". Kel shook her head.

"Dom showed up a week before his supposed marriage. He apologized to both me and Merric and Neal. He agreed to hear me out about what had happened that night, so I told him. I though for him it was a type of closure or something. Instead he proposed marriage to me again later that night. I said "no, not right now," and he got angry again. When I asked about his fiance he admitted he had already broken it off with her, because she wasn't the one he wanted to be with. I said no again, and he  
accepted" it. So we were on again. He returned to the Own and has been with them since. However a strange tension still hung in the air between Merric and him. It started causing communication problems between me and Merric, which caused problems for Neal and everyone else in the camp, so I finally asked. I had to hear it from one of our newer refugee woman that Dom and him had once again had words. I asked Dom about it, he got defensive and I got annoyed and again we fought. He left with the squad, and we have barely spoken since," Kel leaned back and sighed. "After having gone through all that drama I asked myself, 'why would anyone want to get married?' I never replaced Dom.he's been the only one, despite what he may believe. As much as I loved him I had to think of the camp and everyone in it, before I thought of myself, and being with him had caused to many problems. I broke it off within a few weeks. I sent him a letter. He sent me letter after letter apologizing. It hurt, but I kept saying no . . ." she wiped tears away. "My first priority, I told him, is New Hope and the occupants," she smiled. "He still didn't and doesn't understand. Now he's convinced you and I are involved . . ." she rolled her eyes and looked out the window again, startled to see light on the horizon. Cleon turned and looked as well.

It had taken all night, but they had shared each other's secret . . .


End file.
